Before the first slot machine was invented in the late 19th century, people played poker machines. These clunky beasts had five drums and 50 playing cards. Patrons would put in a nickel, spin the drums and hope for a win. There were no automatic payouts, but you could win drinks or cigars – depending on the hand you got. Fast-forward a century later to the 1970’s, and video poker was the next big thing in Vegas.
The game was a hit with people who liked strategy and preferred playing alone. Before video poker, you had to choose between busy table games, like craps or blackjack, and slots. Video poker was the perfect combination of both realms.
If you’re new to the wonderful world of video poker, fear not – it’s easy to learn. Like slots, every round of video poker starts with a wager. At Slots.lv, you choose the coin denomination and play between 1 and 5 coins per round. You start off with a five-card hand – examine it closely. You select which cards you want to keep, and the rest will be swapped for new ones. You get paid based on the strength of your hand.
The card rankings are the same as standard Texas Hold’em poker rankings.
Royal Flush: This is the highest-ranked hand. It’s a Ten, Jack, Queen, King, Ace – same suit.
Straight Flush: Five cards in consecutive order, same suit. Ex. 4H, 5H, 6H, 7H, 8H.
Four of a Kind: Four matching cards. Ex. JH, JC, JD, JS.
Full House: Five-card hand with a set of three matching cards, and a set of two matching cards. Ex. QH, QS, QD, 2C, 2H.
Flush: Five cards with the same suit. Ex. 8H, 3H, JH, 5H, 6H.
Straight: Five cards in consecutive order. Ex. 8H, 9D, 10C, JC, QS.
Three of a Kind: Three matching cards. Ex. 4H, 4D, 4S.
Two Pair: Two sets of two matching cards. Ex. 4H, 4C, 8D, 8S.
Pair: This is typically the lowest hand needed to win in video poker. It’s two matching cards. Ex. JH, JQ.
The payouts vary game to game, but they’re visible on the pay table as you play. When checking the pay table, you’ll want to see if there are jackpots. Check to see if the payouts increase systematically with each additional coin (1 coin=250) (2 coins=500) (3 coins=750) (4 coins=1000) (5 coins=1250). If they do, there’s no jackpot. If, however, the winning amount jumps up with the 5-coin bet (1 coin=250) (2 coins=500) (3 coins=750) (4 coins=1000) (5 coins=4000), there’s a jackpot, and you’ll want to play five coins a round to ensure you’re eligible to win it.
But at the same time, you don’t want to deplete your bankroll. Simply decrease the coin denomination until five coins equal the same amount you had planned to spend on each round. For example, the default wager is one $0.25 coin per round; however, you can wager five $0.05 coins a round – which costs the same thing ($0.25), but makes you eligible for the jackpot. And don’t worry – at Slots.lv, the jackpot is more than cigars and free drinks.